Fire-signal.



No. 740,823.. I PATBNTBB 00T. s, 1910s.

J. HV. DIXON.

` PIRE SIGNAL.

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310.740.823. PATENT-.ED 06T. 6,1903.

J. H. DIXON.

PIRE SIGNAL.

' A'PPLATION FILED SEPT. 26, 1901*.. N0 MODEL. I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2'..

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UNITED" 'STATES fPatented October 6, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE. i

FIRE-SIGNAL.

' SPEGIFIATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 740,823, dated October6, 1903.

"AX-,pintan nea September 26,1901. saai No. 76,653. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom itv may concern:

Be it known that 1,- 1 oHNILDrxoN, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Fire-Signal, of which thefollowing is a full, cleargand exact description.

My invention relates to automatic fire-signals, and more particularly tothe type in which a wire is made fusible for thev purpose of soundingalarms. y i

The object of my invention is to provide a cheap and practicable devicefor causing and transmitting signals in case of [ire in a building witha minimum liability of signals being induced from other cause than fire.

In the accompanying drawings like figures indicate like parts in all theviews.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showing the invention as applied to theceiling or wall of a room. Fig. 2 is likewise a diagrammatic viewshowing the fuse-wires crossed at right angles with each other. Fig. 3is an elevation showing certain parts of the alarm mechanism inclosed ina cabinet. Fig. 4 shows one of the fusible links, and Figs. 5 and 6 showthe electrical contacts for actuating one of the electrical alarms.

Upon the wall or ceiling 1 are mounted the composite wires 2, 12, and13, comprising middle sections 3, each preferably about eight feet long,and end sections 3', each preferably not over four feet in length; Thesesections are of steel Wire and are connected together by fusible linksmade of two brass shanks 4 and with eyes et and soldered together at 5.These fusible links may be made quite small in size, and each of themneed not be more than an inch and a half long. The wires are looselythreaded through stationary eyes 15', secured upon the wall or ceiling.Contacts 6 14 15 are provided for the purpose of closing the circuitwhen the wire is fused or broken. These contacts move against thestationary contacts 9 9', being actuated by the springs 8, which pressupon the insulating guide-plates 7, thus closing the electrical circuit,consisting of the battery 20, wires13' 14', and connected with a localannunciator 21. This annnnciator may be provided with wires 21',connecting with other floors. As shown in Fig. 1, thetarget 31 oi' theannunciator 21 indicates a iire upon the third door. The annunciatorbeing of the usual typeit is not deemed necessary to be here described.The fuse-wires may be made parallel, as shown in Fig. 1, and may beeither single, as shown at 2, or double, as shown at 12 and 13. In casethe wires 'are double the contact ends are likewise made double, so thatthe breaking of any wire will close theele'ctrical circuit of thebattery 20.' In case the wires are crossed they arepreferably arrangedas shown in Fig. 2. At the opposite ends of the wiresthat is, the endsnot provided with electrical contacts-the rings or eyes 11 are connectedwith the cord 10, made, preferably, of picture- Wire orsome similariiexible substance. The wire runs through the stationary eyes 1l and isdrawn outward from its true line and held under tension, as shown inFig. l, so that the breaking of a single wire or of a pair of wires, asthe case may be, will cause the cord 10 to slacken. A weight 17 is soarranged as to pull constantly upon this cord for the purpose of keepingthe cord and all of the wires taut. Connected to the cord 10 is anothercord 16, which connects with a bell-crank 18. A weight 19 is suspendedso that its weight is normally exerted upon the said bellcrank l18.When, however, the weight 19 is released by the motion of thebell-crank,the said Weight is free to descend,

thereby rotating a drum 27, which is provided With pins 30 and withelectrical contacts `27', which are pressed on by the stationaryspring-contacts 28, connected with a separate battery 32 andwith analarm-signal located at a distant station by means of wires 33 and 34:,as shown more particularly in Fig. 3. This lastmentioned alarm-signal isfor the purpose of giving an independent alarm. The contacts 27 arerotated by the drum 27 and weight 19 whenever the cord 10 is slackcned.Consequently the alarm at the central station can never be given exceptwhen the cord 10 is slackened. This can only occur where the single Wire2 is broken or fused or where both of the paired wires 12 or the pairedwires 13 are broken or fused. The

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breaking or fusing of one of the Wires 13 is alone unable to slacken thecord, for the reason that the same is held by the companion Wire. If,however, the single Wire 2 is broken, the cord is slackened. The objectof this arrangement is to make two separate alarms and to make thementirely independent, thus lessening the chance of accidental breakingof the Wire to create a false alarm of fire.

If 'the wires are arranged as in Fig. 1, it is likely thatin case of rethe fuse-links of the two Wires 12 or of the two Wires 13 will be meltedat some point, thus causing not only the contacts 14 15 to actuate theannnnciator 21, indicating trouble, but likewise the re- Ylease of thecord 10, thereby actuating the drum 27 and ringing the gong 22 by meansof the clapper 29. The rotation of the drum 27 sounds the alarm at thecentral station, thus indicating the number of the street or house, asthe case may be. The rotation of the drum 27 also causes the governor25, as shown in Fig. 1, or the governor 26, as shown in Fig. 3, torevolve, thereby retarding the'descent of the Weight. The releasingmechanism is shown in slightlymodified form in Fig. 3, where the cord 16being pulled upward, as in Fig. 1, releases a dog 23 and a detent 24,thus causing the weight 19 to descend, as above described. In case offire, therefore, where both Wires 12 or both Wires 13 are fused bothalarms will be sounded simultaneously; but in case of an accidentbreaking only one of the Wires 12 or one of the Wires 13 the cord 10will not be released, and therefore only the local annunciator-alarmindicating trouble Will be actuated. The local annunciator should beprovided with targets indicating various parts of the house, and theannunciator at the central station may be provided With lettersindicating the several streets or other arbitrary parts of the city,whereby the locality of the ire can be ascertained Within reasonablelimits.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as ne7 and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. A dre-signal having Wires provided Withfusiblejoints and normally held under stress,

a local trouble-signal controllable by sections at one end of saidWires, and a distant-signal relay having means for mechanicallyactuating the same and controllable by opposite end sections of saidfusible Wires.

2. A fire-signal comprising members having fusible joints, each memberbeing provided with a circuitcloser and held under stress, a localtrouble-signal controllable by said circuit-closers of the membersandoperable on a disturbance of either member, and a distant-signalrelay operatively connected with said members and having automaticWeight-actuated means normally'restrained by an intact condition of saidmembers.

3.- A fire-signal having pairs of Wires provided with fusible joints andnormally held under stress, and a distant-signal relay having mechanicalactuating devices normally held in restraint by said pairs of wires,said relay remaining inactive eXcept'on the fusion of both members ofany one pair of Wires.

4. A fire-signal, comprising wires having fusible joints and endsections, means for automatically moving the end sections of said Wiresubsequent to their separation by fusion,

Ya local alarm, an electric circuit including said local trouble-alarm,and having circuitclosers controllable by separable sections at one endof said Wires having fusible joints, a mechanical relay connected withother separable sections of wires having fusible joints, and a separateelectrical alarm actuated by said mechanical relay.

5. A {ire-signal having Wires each provided with fusible joints and Withcircuit-closers at one end thereof, a local trouble-signal controllableby either circuit-closer of the series and operable on a disturbance ofeither Wire, a distant-signal relay having mechanical actuating devices,and a Weighted fieXible connection releasable by either of said Wires onfusion thereof and operatively connected With said relay.

6. A fire-signal comprising members having fusible joints each heldunder longitudinal stress and separable by heat into independent parts,a distant-signal relay having mechanical actuating means, and aconnection operatively related to said members and to the relay tomaintain the latter inactive by an intact state of the members andadapted to release the relay-actuating means on the separation by heatof the members.

7. A fire-signal comprising Wires each having a fusible joint, saidWires being disposed in pairs and each pair of Wires provided at one endwith circuit-closers, a flexible Weighted connector attached to theopposite ends of the iviresand cooperating With the circuitclosers inmaintaining said Wires under 1ongitudin al stress, a local signalcontrollable by either circuitcloser of the series and operable therebyon a disturbance of the Wires, and a distant-signal relay havingpositive actuating means restrained by said iiexible connector during anintactstate of both members of any one pair of said Wires.

8. A fire-signal having wires disposed in pairs and provided Withfusible joints normally held under stress, a local signal controllableby a section at one end of either of said Wires, and a distant-signalrelay having means for mechanically actuating the same, said relay beingcontrollable by the coperation of both end sections of either pair ofsaid Wires opposite to the Wire sections that actuate the local signal.

9. A fire-signal comprising pairs of Wires having fusible joints, andeach member of said pairs of Wires provided With-a circuit- IOO ige

closer normally held open under stress of the In testimony whereof Ihave signed my Wires, a local signal controllable by said cirnaine tothis specicaon in the presence of 1o cuit closers( and operable on arupture of nwo Witnesses. either of sai members, and a distant-signal T5 relay operatively connected conjointly with l JOHN H' DIXOB' saidmembers and having an automatic Witnesses: Weight-actuated meansnormally restrained C. P. GRUNDEN, by an intact condition of vsaidmembers. H. B. PARKER.A

